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HIROSHIMA – The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum drew nearly 1.6 million visitors in fiscal 2016 as surging attendance set a record in the wake of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s historic visit in May 2016.

On Friday, attendance eclipsed the previous record of 1,593,280 set in fiscal 1999 and is likely to reach 1.73 million by the end of March, the museum said.

After Obama became the first sitting U.S. leader to visit the A-bombed city, attendance at the peace museum spiked 40 percent on year in June and July.

The museum had originally planned to stop displaying Obama’s paper cranes but decided to retain the popular exhibit after finding it was one of the main attractions.